The disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, more specifically, to systems and methods for controlling support structures during a part design phase in manufacturing.
Additive manufacturing builds parts by depositing materials layer-by-layer under computer control. It has the advantage of building parts of complex shape without part-specific tooling or fixturing. For certain parts with shape undercuts, sacrificial support structures are typically used to hold subsequent layers. Without such support structures, parts with large overhang volume may collapse under gravity.
Removing support structures can be tedious and laborious for some additive manufacturing processes, and can lead to deterioration of surface quality where the support structure(s) meet the manufactured part. For example, support structures may account for approximately 6% to 42% of the total material used to manufacture the part, and can use up to approximately 64% of the manufacturing time. Additionally, removal of the support structures requires additional time for every part manufactured. Thus, the fabrication of support structures can lead to waste of materials, build time, and energy.